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Gretchen Fontenay (wren08)

I would really love to hear all you gamers' suggestions for people looking to move from classic, mass-market games, to the world of great board games. The Dice Tower once did a top 10 like this, but I think it is VERY MUCH due for an update....

So, what would you hardcore gamers suggest to someone who liked the following games?

RiskMonopolyUnoScrabbleClue (or Cluedo)Chess

I have some of my own suggestions, but I'm relatively new, so I'm hoping to tap the collective experience of the BGG crew.

Also, please give a brief reason why that game replaces the old one. What is it that you think people were getting out of the old game which they can now get from this new game?

Example:

Replace Risk with Cry Havoc.

Similarities: Area control and conquest, and they probably like the miniatures.

Fixes: Total randomness of the battles, adds specialization for the different factions, and it fixes the one thing that REALLY stinks about Risk (and Monopoly)... Risk and Monopoly are ludicrously long because they don't end until you have ground your opponents into the dirt and made them play through 100s of totally unnecessary rounds where they clearly couldn't get anywhere. Cry Havoc ends on time and you win by points.

"What is best in Life? To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women."

Kuolema wrote:

These seem like the obvious ones to me, but there are definitely other alternatives. Not sure of a good one for Clue, but I'm sure there are some out there.

Risk --> Small World if you want light; Chaos In The Old World if you would like something longer and heavier and can play with exactly 4. CitOW replaces the destroy everything goal with some very interesting leveling up mechanics for each power and with some cool area control. Monopoly --> Catan (I don't like it but it fits fairly well); For Sale could also fit. It is just the bidding and valuation parts and that is it. Uno --> Red7 Not a perfect fit but it is a thinkier filler card game. No Thanks could also work although it has no mechanics in common. Uno isn't really a game IMHO so it is hard to come up with a replacement. Scrabble --> Paperback: Spelling still matters but it adds euro mechanics and makes spelling a little less difficult. Clue --> Witness: Great 4 player deduction game that is cooperativeChess --> Onitama: Chess like but people who loathe chess could dig it.

Can you give brief explanations of why these are the particular ones you'd suggest?

Small World because it is similar to risk in objective but reduces randomness and game length. Also the race combinations are just fun and would likely help draw people in/keep interest up.

Chinatown because it takes the best parts of monopoly (mainly the trading and set collecting) while removing the tedious roll and move mechanic. Catan is probably another good choice because of the trading and building. I guess it's not too surprising that so many people love it.

Wizard is a bit of a stretch since it's a trick taking game unlike Uno, but it also has very simple gameplay that involves playing a single card per round and it's one of my personal favourite card games.

Bananagrams is basically a much shorter, real-time version of Scrabble that would appeal to many word game fans. The only downside is that there is little player interaction since all players create their own crossword.

Hive is often compared to chess because it has a variety of pieces that move in various ways. Personally I'm not much of a fan of Hive or Chess but I know a lot of people like it.

- Formula D over Sorry although I have a feeling Robo Rally might be the better pick if I got a play of it in.- Frank's Zoo over Uno- Space Cadets over Cranium. Another I need a play of, it but fits too well.- Codenames over Scrabble- Haggis over traditional card game although I don't think one game can really replace the depth of all traditional card games.- Samurai(for multiplayer)/The Duke over Chess- Wits and Wagers over Trivia Pursuit- Deception: Murder in Tokyo(for bigger groups)/Hanabi over Clue- Lords of Vegas over Monopoly- 1775 over Risk- Quartermaster General over Axis and Allies

So, what would you hardcore gamers suggest to someone who liked the following games?

RiskMonopolyUnoScrabbleClue (or Cluedo)Chess

Rather than name a game directly, I would suggest having them visit a Barnes and Noble store, where over the last 20 years I have watched them build a more attractive selection of games BGG participants appreciate ... in the midst of those "familiar" ones you list.

Clue - Mystery of the Abbey didn't really grab me; Mr. Jack is good but only for 2 players. You might want to look at Mysterium. In this game, one player is a ghost giving clues to the psychics who are trying to piece together the murder.

- Formula D over Sorry although I have a feeling Robo Rally might be the better pick if I got a play of it in.- Frank's Zoo over Uno- Space Cadets over Cranium. Another I need a play of, it but fits too well.- Codenames over Scrabble- Haggis over traditional card game although I don't think one game can really replace the depth of all traditional card games.- Samurai(for multiplayer)/The Duke over Chess- Wits and Wagers over Trivia Pursuit- Deception: Murder in Tokyo(for bigger groups)/Hanabi over Clue- Lords of Vegas over Monopoly- 1775 over Risk- Quartermaster General over Axis and Allies

There are several here I've never tried and will probably look into! Nice list.

I was going to say that I get Deception for Clue, but not Hanabi... and then I thought about it and realized that all my friends who love Hanabi and play it with me all the time used to be big Clue fans (including my wife). I wonder what the similarity is? Maybe that we're each giving each other clues and trying to remember them and draw inferences...? It just doesn't seem similar, but it definitely has worked.

There are several here I've never tried and will probably look into! Nice list.

I was going to say that I get Deception for Clue, but not Hanabi... and then I thought about it and realized that all my friends who love Hanabi and play it with me all the time used to be big Clue fans (including my wife). I wonder what the similarity is? Maybe that we're each giving each other clues and trying to remember them and draw inferences...? It just doesn't seem similar, but it definitely has worked.

That one seemed weird to me too, but I've never actually played Tigris & Euphrates, so I didn't want to say anything and look silly....

Although I do think you would probably like Tigris and Euphrates this suggestion was a stretch but I thought it would be kind of funny. I don't really enjoy word games myself, especially Scrabble, but I tried to think of a game that shared some similarities.

- Grid board, tile laying, bonus spots on the board- hidden personal use tiles that get replaced at the end of your turn- you can replace any number of tiles as part of a turn- you can play off of others previous layed tiles- game ends when all tiles are diminished

"I was born not knowing and have had only a little time to change that here and there."

This is came up before on this thread. So, I'll just quote myself for the games that are mentioned here.

s3kt0r wrote:

Monopoly. If it's the trading and the wheeling and dealing you like, I would say Chinatown. But, I've always felt Monopoly is bought because it's the one game that everyone knows and families just go with it. If I had to pick the one game that non-gamers buy just so they have a game when they decide to do "Board Game Night," I would probably pick Ticket to Ride.

Scrabble. I really don't think this is a bad game and for people who like word games, it might be sufficient. That being said, my replacement would be Paperback.

For the other games that are mentioned here, I'll add these to the list.

Uno. So many filler card games could go here, but I feel this should be replaced by another card shedding game so I'll go with Frank's Zoo or The Great Dalmuti.

Clue. Mystery of the Abbey is the popular choice here and I understand why and agree with the choice. However, I personally feel Mystery Express is a more direct Clue replacement, but it is difficult to find. Sleuth would also be an acceptable answer.

Chess. I think Chess is a fine game and for many, there is no replacement. For me, Go replaced Chess, but I think they are too different for me to declare Go a direct Chess replacement. In the spirit of the question though, for people who like the idea of Chess, but want something more modern and maybe with less of the baggage that comes with it, I would suggest The Duke. Hive and Onitama would be good choices too.